Forage Selection

Propionic acid effects on bermudagrass silage

joao.vendramini@ag.tamu.edu — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Jiggs bermudagrass delivers strong yields, but its high moisture and low sugars make reliable silage tough to achieve.

Weed management using cover crops

marian@agproud.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Managed well, cover crops turn living roots and residue into a dependable weed‑suppression system.

Farm-tailoring cool-season mixtures

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:02:19 -0400

When you understand your soils and grazing goals, choosing the right pasture species becomes a more strategic decision.

An unusual year for cool-season forages; what have we learned?

mwallau@ufl.edu — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

A dry fall followed by repeated cold snaps stalled cool‑season forage growth across the Southeast, exposing vulnerabilities even in normally resilient systems.

Keeping feed value in the stack

sfonnesbeck@uidaho.edu — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Reducing the exposure of hay to the rain, snow and hot sun certainly aids in protecting the visual integrity of the baled forage. However, what does the weather, elements and time do to the nutritional integrity of these same bales?

Prussic acid management in sorghum forages

sgruss@iastate.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

In recent years, producers across the Midwest have increasingly turned to sorghum as a flexible forage option. However, careful management is required to avoid maladies such as prussic acid poisoning.

Cow and calf grazing behavior on rangeland

sprinkle@uidaho.edu — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Stories abound concerning cow behavior on Western rangelands in both historical and contemporary accounts by the men and women who spend their days with livestock.

Dairy delight: How a Wisconsin farm improved forage quality and milking productivity

pcheise@foragegenetics.com — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Scheps Dairy, located in northwest Wisconsin, is an example of how alfalfa can strategically enhance operations by supporting forage quality, yield and flexibility for dairy farmers.

Pastures and radishes: Renovating with cover crops

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

At some point, every pasture or hayfield needs to be renovated. Although there are many useful approaches to improving a piece of land for forage production, some cover crops offer distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Innovative alfalfa genetics and management strategies for drought resilience

alfalfadoc@outlook.com — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Drought stress is one of the most significant limiting factors in crop production worldwide, and alfalfa is no exception. Dealing with droughts and water shortages can be challenging. However, there are some new tools available to alfalfa producers to help mitigate yield and profit losses.

Managing beef cattle to get the best use of fall/winter forage

sam.wyffels@montana.edu — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Nutritional management plays a central role in promoting the health, productivity and reproductive success of beef cattle.

‘Moo juice’ helps fuel California dairy’s success

emeccage@foragegenetics.com — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 15:01:55 -0400

As a researcher, I spend all day, every day working alongside people in the forage industry to develop solutions for farmers to overcome the countless challenges facing their operations.

Benefits of integrating crops and livestock

dschwab@iastate.edu — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Livestock enterprises can use crop acres seeded to cover crops and crop residue to stretch the grazing season and save on feed costs. Crop operations benefit from the nutrient value added through livestock manure and to help with pest management.

Alfalfa variety development: What can we expect in the future?

alfalfadoc@outlook.com — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 15:24:24 -0400

The good news is that despite the downsizing of proprietary and public alfalfa breeding programs, there is still a lot of genetic improvements being made. This is in part due to the technical advances in plant breeding.

All those tiny bubbles: A look at bloat in livestock

woody@woodylane.com — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Everyone knows a livestock producer who’s lost animals to bloat. Because of the risk, some folks flatly refuse to graze their stock on dense stands of clover or alfalfa. Others kind of shrug, saying they’ve rarely lost animals and don’t worry about it much. So … what gives?

Alfalfa genetics and management techniques that extend stand life

alfalfadoc@outlook.com — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

When a producer plants an alfalfa field, there is an expectation that the field will remain productive for several years. Alfalfa is a perennial crop but there is a limit to its longevity, since all alfalfa fields naturally thin over time.

Mixing grasses and legumes to create more productive pastures

sfonnesbeck@uidaho.edu — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Those in the cattle industry have come to understand the term “hybrid vigor” and how it benefits the health, growth and stamina of our livestock. Many of the same things can be said for our pastures.

The advantages of alfalfa: The queen of forages and her court

emeccage@foragegenetics.com — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Alfalfa, often crowned the “queen of forages,” has long reigned supreme in the world of agriculture, commanding respect and admiration from hay producers and dairy farmers alike.

Winter cereals for early spring grazing in an integrated livestock cropping system

kevin.sedivec@ndsu.edu — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Winter cereals provide green, actively growing plants during the fall and early winter periods and are the first to green up in the spring.

Using alfalfa-grass mixtures

djunders@wisc.edu — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

There are several benefits to seeding alfalfa-grass mixtures rather than pure alfalfa stands, starting with biodiversity.

Trend toward alternative forages means adjusting crop nutrition protocols

dan.peterson@agroliquid.com — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The emerging trend toward alternative forages means it may be time to adjust crop nutrition protocols. Alfalfa has long been considered the “queen” of forages thanks to its high protein solubility and digestibility balanced with amino acids.

Factors impacting forage quality for grazing beef cattle

sam.wyffels@montana.edu — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

As the summer months progress, the forage quality for grazing cattle begins to change rapidly for much of the western U.S. Cattle performance is dependent on the consumption of digestible nutrients; thus, forage quality and availability are essential for grazing-based systems.

Don’t let drought keep cattle performance down

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Drought conditions around the country can be a mixed bag any given year. This year, portions of the Central Plains, West, Southwest and Midwest have dealt with various drought conditions.

10 feet tall with BMR: A new era of grass

woody@woodylane.com — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Sorghum-sudangrass is a C4 (warm-season) annual. It can easily grow 10 feet tall and yield more than 5 tons of dry matter per acre during the hot summer.

The silver lining of drought

kate@greencoverseed.com — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Drought has plagued many parts of the country over the past couple years. Dust storms, sweltering heat, raging wildfires, failed crops – all effects of an ecosystem lacking adequate precipitation.

Creating a win-win: Grazing heifers for economic and ecological returns

aschank@wisc.edu — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Dairy heifer grazing increases the amount of well-managed grassland in an area – improving dairy’s climate performance and supporting the regeneration of soil, water and biodiversity resources.

The new variety advantage

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Many grasses and legumes can be utilized in pastures or hayfields today to improve production, and new varieties are better than some of the traditional forages. When selecting something to plant, look at what might work best in your situation.

Sainfoin in pastures for cattle – less risk for bloat

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Legumes are always beneficial in a pasture because they generally contain more protein and minerals than grasses and add nitrogen to the soil, but some commonly used legumes – alfalfa and some clovers – carry risk for bloat.

2023 U.S. harvest analysis identifies variable mycotoxin risk

mhawkins@alltech.com — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The 2023 corn crop was challenged by a wide variation of environmental challenges. Drought in the Southwest and western Corn Belt to late-season rainfall in the Ohio Valley and eastern Corn Belt, the weather challenged the crop.

Silvopastures in the southeast U.S.

mscastil@ncsu.edu — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Silvopastures are characterized by the intentional integration and management of trees, forages and livestock.